Dalhousie Travel Guide

Dalhousie Info

State: Himachal Pradesh

Famous for/as: Hill

Altitude: 1954 m

Pincode: 176304

District: Chamba

Language: Hindi

STD code: 01899

Weather: Summer 16 to 42°C, Winter -2 to 19°C

Dalhousie is a popular hill resort situated in the Dhauladhar range of Himachal Pradesh. It is the gateway to the Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. The hill station of Dalhousie comprises of five distinct hills - Kathlog, Portreyn, Tehra, Bakrota and Balun, which covers an area of about 13 sq. km. Situated in the western Himalayas, Dalhousie is at a distance of about 563 km from Delhi, 300 km from Chandigarh, 191 km from Amritsar and 56 km from Chamba.

History of Dalhousie

The Dhauladhar range of Himachal Pradesh had attracted the British during the period of British colonisation. Lord Napier Magdala wanted to set up a hospital for chronic diseases in Chamba in the outer slopes of the Dauladhar range.

In 1853, the Raja of Chamba agreed to transfer the plateau of Kathlog, Portreyn, Tehra and Bakrota to the British Raj to establish the sanatorium, which was eventually named after Lord Dalhousie, the first British Governor General of India. In 1866, Balun was also taken over by the British.

Things to do in Dalhousie

Dalhousie offers interesting period architecture that range from ancient temples to Gothic styled churches. St. Andrew's and St. Patrick's at Balun, the St. Francis' Church at Subash Chowk, and St. John's Church at Gandhi Chowk are some of the most frequented churches. The exquisite architectural beauty of the summer palace of the Chamba rulers at Jandrighat is also popular. Panchpula and Subhash Baoli of Dalhousie are known for the monuments of the famous freedom fighters like Ajit Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose.

There are several places within and around Dalhousie that are good picnic spots. Dainkund, Khajjiar, Chamba, Palampur, Baijnath, Bir, Billing, Triund, Dharamsala, etc. are some of the prominent places that attract tourists. One can witness a blend of adventure, historic significance and natural beauty at all the major tourist spots in Dalhousie.

Being the most popular and quietest hill station of India, Dalhousie attracts thousands of tourists all round the year. It offers different experiences during different seasons. The summer season is the best with the temperature remaining within 25⁰ Celsius for most of the time. This makes it ideal for exploring the hill station.

Those who want to experience snowfall can visit during the months of December to February when snowfall occurs. However, the weather is quite chilly during this time and adequate protection must be taken. June-September and October-November see some rainfall. October and November are also the months when the festivals of Dusshera and Diwali are celebrated with pomp and gaiety and are a good time to visit. Like in the rest of North India, Holi is also an important festival here.

Travelling to Dalhousie

Dalhousie is easily approachable from all the major cities of North India. It is connected by air to Pathankot and Jammu. Jammu is well connected to Delhi and other cities in North India. The Gaggal Airport at Dharamshala is another airport. Pathankot is also the nearest railway station which has connections to major cities within the country including Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bhatinda, Amritsar and Delhi. By road Dalhousie is reachable from Delhi and other places nearby.

Travelling within Dalhousie

Tourists can hire taxis to travel within Dalhousie. Tourists can also opt for buses to travel around the city which costs about Rs 30.

Accommodation in Dalhousie

Tourists in Dalhousie can avail various accommodation options, ranging from budget hotels to 5 star hotels. Tourists can opt for British era Mansions converted into hotels to stay in Dalhousie.

After lots of discussion decided on going to Dalhousie for enjoying Snow in early Jan 2015. I feel this is the closest place from Delhi, where one can enjoy snow. Dalhousie can be reached overnight from Delhi with plenty of options like Train/Bus till Pathankot and then a cab to Dalhousie (4 Hours) or a direct HRTC bus from Delhi. We were looking only for snow and found it in abundance. It had snowed just the previous night and the entire place was covered in snow. Would like to go back in summer to explore the true beauty of this place

The views of khajjiar, kalatop, chamer lake and many other places were beautifull will visit again for next time and will recommend to many. The beauty of nature is magnified and is enhanced and also the food at mall road was good especially the non veg.

The people who loves natural beauty must visit Dalhousie. Dalhousie as whole is very beautiful and peaceful place. The mall road in Dalhousie will provide you an amazing shopping experience. As visitor you should spend 3 to 4 days in Dalhousie & enjoy its natural surroundings. Places of tourist attraction in Dalhousie are Khajiar & Kala-top Point. There is direct train from Delhi to Pathankot & then 2. 5 hours journey by road to Dalhousie.

It was a nice Holiday experience in dalhousie and nice sightseeing too. A nice city with good and relaxing atmosphere. Nice food and nice snow. Visited the church, it was a good experience. Dalhousie is a nice tourist spot. Dalhousie had nice view. We spent good time.

Dalhousie is a heaven to the mountain lovers. This is one of the most visited towns in himachal. We were there in October 2014. Weather was not so bad. We could see the snow peaks of Dhauladhar range from the town. If you are travelling to Dalhousie - Chamba , Kalatop, khajjiar are the points you should visit. Khajjiar is widely known as Switzerland of India for its amazing beauty..

There are some really good hotels. But we were unlucky considering this point. We booked hotel Topaz through cleartrip. But the rooms were at the bottom and did not have any view at all.

It was a nice Holiday experience in Dalhousie. It had nice sightseeing spots. A nice city, the atmosphere was nice and relaxing. Food in Dalhousie was nice. It had nice snow. The hotel's were also nice hotel and good people. Khajjiar is best place in Dalhousie.

Good experience,visited the church their, Dalhousie is a nice tourist spot. The sceneries were good. We spent good time, There was one place which we were not able see as destination was under govt. Place call kajira, but overall nice experience was at Dalhousie.

This is a beautiful place for people who want to take a break in the peaceful environment of the these mountains. This place is also good for family as well as the kids would enjoy a lot. A excellent location away from home. You will get a good shopping experience of shawls and other woollen items.

I was really longing to go to this hill station after reading a lot about it and was overjoyed with the whole experience I had there. As compared to some other commercial hill stations of Himachal Pradesh, I found Dalhousie relatively clean and rich in green cover.

The best part of the visit was to have a flavour of Himalayan forests and their majestic trees. Usually people prefer a 3/4 day visit here, but if you really want to enjoy the calmness and serene beauty of this hill station plan to stay for at least a week.

Many good resorts are available at this place, but I was particularly happy with the Grand View Hotel due to its location, rooms, over-friendly service and available facilities. There's a small Tibetan market outside this hotel close to the bus stand where one can shop few items as souvenirs.

Nearby Dalhousie the must visit places are Kalatop Wildlife Sanctuary (rich in forest and wildlife), Chamera Dam (for boating enthusiasts) and Dainkund Peak (for breathtaking views of Himalayan mountains). The premonsoon season in month of May-June can be chosen for visiting if you don't want much cold and can enjoy few drizzles. For snow lovers, the best time to visit is December - February.

The best way to reach this hill station is by getting down at Pathankot Junction (about 85 kms away from here) which is connected to many important cities through rail network. Then you can hire a pre-paid taxi or take HPTC buses from the bus stand to reach Dalhousie.

When you are in Himachal, food is never a problem and one can get good north-Indian dishes in most hotels and restaurants. But for food lovers, momos are must to eat when there.

Overall, it was one of the best visits I I've had with my family and it was like a dream come true to visit Dalhousie after a long wait.

Went to Dalhousie on the way back from visiting Dharamshala so we could show our son the snow. We went during January and were not sure of the weather. It was cold there and you need to rug up, but it was well worth it. It was so beautiful and scenic there. We walked around played a little in the snow and just enjoyed the feeling there. Extra places is Kalatop Khajjiar Sanctuary, Khajjiar Lake, Satdhara Falls, Rang Mahal, Dainkund Peak, Bhuri Singh Museum, Chamunda Devi Temple, Shivkul, Jhandri Ghat, St. Andrew's Church.

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